Wartorn
by FireBounty
Summary: Sinnoh is getting a new trainer: Amellia Lore. Follow her journey of misfortune as she breaks her innocence, her heart, and her body. NOTE: This is just me trying to get back into writing, and better at writing. I look forward to kind and constructive critisism. Thank you.


**WAR-TORN**

It was chaos.

My prosthetic was crushed beyond any point of salvation. My pokemon were either dead or dying. My friends lay covered in blood in the snow.

All of this, and I was sinking ever deeper into the mind numbingly cold Lake Acuity.

Is this how I die?

It wasn't always like this. I wasn't always prone to bad luck...was I? Well, I had at least never thought I'd be fighting first hand against crazed terrorists trying to collect mythical Gods to control the world.

At what point did I get wrapped up in all this? When did it all go wrong?

 **CHAPTER 1 - MEET THE STARTER**

"Look Tyrone look! There she is!" I screamed as Lexa Lockhart strode with confidence onto the area. Her bright orange hair trailed behind her like a cape. The rest of the crowd went as wild as I did. It was a fair reaction. Rarely did people get the occasion to see Lexa Lockhart and her team in action up close and personal.

" _AAAAAND IN THE BLUE CORNER!"_ The announcer boomed from the speakers. " _THE RENOWNED ADVENTURER, ALWAYS STARING DEATH IN THE FACE AND TACKLING FEAR HEAD ON, LEXAAAAAA LLLOCKHAAAART!"_

The stadium went ballistic as the announcer riled them up. Lexa played along and waved to the fans. I waved back furiously, hoping, _praying,_ that she might see me. Maybe she would even talk to me after!

The judge at the center of the field motioned at the two trainers. Lexa reached into her black trench coat and took out an ultra ball. With expert-level ease, she tossed it into the air where it opened with a yellow glow, allowing it to land back in her hand with grace. A stream of white-gold light emerged and collected onto the ground. The light bent and grew to let off a finishing burst of white sparks. The burst dissipated to reveal a coil of metalic boulders and spikes. The steelix unfurled, balanced to almost its full height and bellowed with ominous might.

The red corner brought out their net ball. Exploding with turquoise light and navy black net-like streaks, the light swirled and expanded. The light burst with turquoise sparks to reveal a blue beast roaring with a fearsome wrath. The gyarados held its own height against the metal snake.

 _"BOTH TRAINERS HAVE BROUGHT OUT THEIR POKEMON! IT'S TIME TO GET THIS BATTLE UNDER WAY! ARE! YOU! READYYYYYY!"_

The stadium blew up with the sound of the spectators. Water sprayed and stones flew as the trainers instructed their pokemon. With each skillful hit and flashy move the crowd grew more ecstatic.

I never grew tired of the energy given off from tournaments. Everyone collected together to see the professional trainers show their skills and battle ready Pokemon. I always wanted to be at the center of that energy. Being the one down on that field, listening to the roar of the crowd as they waited to see me and my team in action. To be like my idol, Lexa Lockhart. That's what I wanted. One day, I _would_ be in that spotlight.

"Did you see when Laverne used psychic on that jolteon? It didn't know what was happening, the jolteon, so Lexa told Laverne to use it, so then she could use fire blast while it was in the air, so it couldn't run away. Did you know Laverne was Lexa's first pokemon? It was her starter, but it was just a magby when she got it. And did you kno-"

"Yes, Ameel, it was a good battle. And, you told me this already," Tyrone said, trying to get me stop rambling. He should've known by now that it doesn't work on me.

"Yeah! She started with a fire type and I'm going to start with a fire type, too! I'm going to be just like Lexa," I told him.

"I do not know if your mother wants you with a fire type starter. She thinks it is dangerous," he said.

"But it's my birthday! I asked Mom for a fire type and she _knows_ I want a fire type. And Lexa started with a fire type, and all of other kids start with fire types! And they are good for cooking, and making fires, and keeping trainers warm..." I began my usual rant that Tyrone had listened to too many times as we walked home.

Tyrone let us take the long way home across the walkways. I didn't dislike the train at all. I just wanted to be outside whenever I could. To look out over the city, across the water and on clear days see the entrance to Victory Road.

I had lived my whole life in Sunyshore. I'd never left the city other than to visit the resorts by Lake Valor. I wasn't upset by that at all, though. There were always things to do in the city. My free time was mostly spent at the Pokemon Gym. I loved seeing the amazing pokemon the elite trainers had! It felt like everyday I would see a new pokemon. Especially at the market place, where you could find amazing, rare, and strong trained pokemon. Their trainers sifting through stalls for that one item they needed for their team.

I even have a favourite memory from there about a flock of murkrow that tried to loot a man selling evolution stones. The newspapers had called it ' _Marauding Murkrow Make Evolution Mayhem.'_ A picture of me sitting on a ludicolo's head was on the cover of that paper. (Which is the only reason I remember the name of the paper.)

Most of my days were spent in school. Mom wouldn't let me go into the Trainer's School though. She said I had to learn 'useful skills,' whatever that meant. She enrolled me at Sunyshore Basic Education instead.

I still don't see how knowing the alignment of the solar system is a 'useful skill.'

Together, Tyrone and I descended the last staircase onto the sidewalk, only few blocks from our apartment. We melded into the late afternoon's post-work rush. People and pokemon crowded the sidewalks while cars zipped past. Through instinct I reached up to grab Tyrone's hand and squeezed next to him as close as I could to avoid getting stepped on.

We got into the apartment building, rode up the elevator, and I skipped ahead of Tyrone once on our floor. I got to our door and pushed it open. "Hi mom! Is my pokemon here yet?"

"Amellia, you're back! Where's Tyrone?" she asked from the kitchen. If you could even call it a kitchen, that is. It was really just a sink, a fridge, a counter top and an oven crammed into the corner of the larger living room.

"He's behind me but is my pokemon here?" I was told this morning that it would be arriving later today. I was going to get my fire starter, just like Lexa's magby!

Mom let out a discontented sigh. "No, not yet. You'll get it later, remember?"

"Yeah but I just want to have my starter."

"You'll get one," she said, clearly indignant.

"Then can I use the computer to watch BattleVids?" I was already making my way over to the computer. I wanted to see what the analysts on BattleVids were saying about Lexa's match.

"No, we're about eat. You can watch that stuff later. Oh, Tyrone! There you are," she said as Tyrone walked through and closed the door.

"Hi luvdisc, smells great," he slipped off his sneakers by the door frame. He stepped over to my mom and kissed her on the cheek. She returned it with a quick but passionate kiss to the lips.

Gross.

"Tyrone can I watch BattleVids?" I asked.

"Ask your mo-"

"Amellia," my mom interrupted, "I've already said no. Now, why don't you go set the table. Dinner will be ready soon."

With the grumpiest face I could make, I trudged over to the dish cabinet.

Dinner was a new recipe for soup mom wanted to try out. It was more of a yellow paste than regular soup, I thought. I had asked if we could order from Miltank Pizza since it was my birthday, but mom said they're too expensive. She was also insistent that since I had instant noodles for breakfast and that counted as my 'birthday meal.'

Tyrone had released his emolga, Maxi, who sat on the table drinking her soup through a straw. I showed her how to blow through it to make bubbles. We were both enjoying ourselves until mom scolded us for making a mess. Maxi dragged her bowl closer to Tyrone, hurt after the scolding. The two of us sat in silence for most of the dinner after that.

I made my way through the yellow paste (it did taste kind of good) while mom and Tyrone talked about his new book.

"He said that with the popularity of the books, I can start thinking about writing screenplays," Tyrone said.

Mom gasped, "Tyrone! That's great! Do you think you'll do it?"

"Well," he began, setting down his spoon and lacing his fingers together, "I am still finishing the editing with Edwin. I do not know if I want to make the books into movies."

"Why not? It'd a great opportunity for you, _I_ think," mom took another big spoonful from her bowl then set her spoon down, too. She laced her fingers together and rested her chin on them, leaning against the table on her elbows.

"Whay don'd you wahnnah make hem indo moviez?" I asked through a mouthful of paste.

"Emmemma?" Maxi squeaked, mouth just as full.

"Amellia, don't talk with your mouthful," mom said.

I swear to Arceus that I heard Maxi laugh at me. Probably for getting in trouble when she got off scot-free for the same crime.

I swallowed the kind of tasty paste. "Sorry."

Tyrone smiled. "I do not think that movies are a bad idea. I think, maybe, that movies do not...hm...movies cannot show, or feel, what a book can show or feel. Many movies that are made into books- er, many books made into movies miss the feelings that are put into the books."

"All the more reason that _you_ should write the screenplay," Mom encouraged.

"Thank you, my luvdisc," Tyrone said, chuckling, "But I will need to think more about it."

I noticed the small lull in the conversation, so I asked, "So when can I get my starter?"

Mom sighed. "Amellia, we are in the middle of a conversation. Please be patient."

Tyrone chuckled. "Why not get her the pokemon? She has been waiting all day."

YES! This was one of the many reasons I loved Tyrone. He always had my back. He listened to me and treated me like an adult. Unlike mom, who still treated me like a little girl. Now, thanks to him, I was going to get my starter!

"Really!?" I squealed.

She hesitated. Then got up from the table. "Follow me."

"Wait it's HERE? My starter is HERE? WHERE?" I got up from the table so quickly my chair almost fell over. It was here! My starter was HERE! I was going to become a pokemon trainer!

Mom walked over to the hallway towards her bedroom and I was almost stepping on her heels following behind her. I tailed her over to her underwear drawer. (Wait she kept my starter in _there?_ It was a good hiding spot I guess, but not very dignified.)

She opened the drawer and pulled out a red and white ball with a bright sheen reflecting off it. A pokeball. My starter's pokeball. My STARTER'S POKEBALL.

At his point I was freaking out. I was bouncing like a spoink. _What will it be?_ I wondered. _A magby? Maybe a chimchar? Lots of kids had those. A numel? They were ground type too. A vulpix? Or maybe a growlithe? Oooh whatever it is please be a fire type, please be a fire type, please be a fire type!_

Mom opened the ball. The white energy emerged from the ball. It twisted and turned as it travelled to the floor. Warping itself into a misshapen ball, the light sparked and dissipated. In it's place sat a tiny pink thing with nubs for arms and legs, a curled up tail, and a small curl of hair that rested between two large brown ears.

"A...cleffa?" I deadpanned.

"Cleffa," it responded. It looked just as confused.

I looked at Mom, "A cleffa."

The star shaped pokemon leaned up to look at her, too. "Cleffa?"

"So?" she asked, "What do you think?"

I turned back to the pink blob. "Cleffa."

The pink blob turned to me. "Cla leffa?"

"Cleffa..."

"Clef ca cal leffa?"

The pink blob that was my starter and I turned and looked at my mother. Then, as if we rehearsed it we spoke in unison, "Cleffa?"


End file.
